Forbidden Mating With The Alpha

Chapter 11: Rain

Lucy stayed in bed all morning and afternoon until the rumbling of thunder outside fulfilled its promise of rain. The flames in the canisters had gone out a while ago and she hadn't seen Ida since lunchtime. The maid left her to rest and recover from that morning's incidents; more than one because Layla's words still hurt Lucy more than she was prepared to admit.

She had the option of laying in bed until Ida would come up to get her for dinner and going somewhere outside the confinement of her bedroom. And she preferred the latter. She got out of bed and changed out of the wrinkled dress and another casual one.

The pitter-patter of the rain on the rooftops, umbrellas and the cobblestone streets filled the atmosphere alongside the loud chattering of people trying to hear each other over the rain. It was already early in the evening but the gray clouds had darkened the sky, meaning that the lanterns would have to be lit earlier that day.

They were released into the air where they floated without any support from wires or ropes. The wind did not pick them up and toss them around either. It was a different type of magic that Lucy could not comprehend, not that she could wrap her mind around any type of magic anyway.

She was a simple human being who could not compare to the likes of Layla who had the physical strength of many men, Yelena who could conjure the colder side of the elements or Creed who could conjure strong winds. As she thought about them, she began to wonder what the other women were capable of. As far as she had seen from Kiko, she was gluttonous in nature and knew nothing else about her.

Robin was playful but could be straightforward and blunt when the situation called for it. She did not know much about Karena either. But there would be plenty of time in future to become familiar with the others. After all, they currently were and would be living under the same roof.

Lucy did not want to stay in her bedroom and walked out into the quiet sitting area outside the bedrooms. Before walking out, she get her gaze fixed on the door and thought back to what had happened when Dante almost punished Layla. She did not orally tell Dante to stop but he still got her message and she did not understand how. It was strange that she was able to get her thoughts out to him like that.

Dinner was in a few hours and she needed to raise her spirits before she would have to face the other women again, specifically Layla—Miss. Rothfield, the daughter from a family of medics who spoiled and sheltered her since birth and eventually made it impossible for her to find a long lasting partner who could tolerate her snobbish and mean-spirited personality.

If there was anything that Layla hated, it was the misfortunate, and she expressed her feelings when she verbally attacked Robin and Lucy. She would not stop until she proved that even though her parents were disappointed in her, she was still better off than they were. Lucy hated the thought of what Layla would do next to get on their nerves or force out their tears, and before she could give her the chance to do that, she would spend some time by herself to prepare.

Lucy walked out of the sitting area and went upstairs to the next floor, where the staircase came to an end and she assumed that the inn only had three floors. It was very quiet, either the other residents in the inn were intentionally staying silent or they had gone out for the festival. It did not matter much to Lucy who only wanted to listen to the rain.

She reached the end of the hallway where there was a small room with a bay window that could be opened. The were two single sofas in the center of the small room at a round table, the perfect place for two people to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. She was surprised to find that small room there and wished she had discovered it earlier.

The view from the window was not blocked off by any building unlike the others and she exhaled happily as she sat down on the inner ledge. She could see the roofs of other buildings nearby along with the people wandering the streets, the children scurrying about to get out of the rain and stomping in puddles in the middle of the roads.

But most importantly, she could see the rain pouring down from the gray sky that was adorned by the lit lanterns. The festive feeling from when she arrived with Creed returned and she was at peace as she listened to the rain. It was like soothing music to her ears and calmed her heart more than anything else could.

After sitting and watching the outside for thirty minutes, the sun had set and the sky had grown as dark as a normal, cloudless night. The number of people had increased and the lanterns burned brighter than before. The rain had eased a little but it was still raining nontheless. She wanted to experience more than just hearing it and pushed the windows to open.

A cold wind blow in and strands of her hair danced along with it. She had not realized how cold it and after some shivering, she reached her right hand out to catch a drop of the rain. Before her hand was out in the open for the rain to fall into her palm, a stranger's hand was suddenly holding on to her arm, careful so as to not irritate her sprained wrist.

Lucy was caught by surprise and turned her head to come face to face with the Commander, who was face and body were so close to hers that she immediately became flustered.

"You should not let touch the rain. It's bad for you," he spoke softly like a whisper because he was so close to her. When their eyes met, he suddenly realized that he had gone too close to her when he wanted to stop her from touching the rain drops. He released her arm and moved a few feet away from her.

Lucy was disappointed, both because she really wanted to touch the rain and because for a second she enjoyed being so close to him.

"I don't want to go outside. I just want to touch-"

"And I'm telling you that you shouldn't." Dante interrupted her when she wanted to clarify her actions. His words bothered her. Ever since she arrived at the inn, she had been told not to do many things and she listened to each and every order. This time, she wanted to know why.

"But it's just the rain. What could be so bad about that?" She asked, and Dante's expression changed to that of annoyance. Everything would have been easier if she and the others would do what they were told without asking questions. Earlier he had to stop Kiko from leaving the inn to find a store that sold a specific food she had been craving because the chefs did not have the ingredients for it.

She was persistent and tried many times to leave. Layla did not help the situation at all. She claimed to have been tired of being in an inn for lowly commoners and wanted to go out for some fresh air to get away from the peasants, namely Robin, who insisted on bothering her more than was necessary.

Lucy was adamant on touching the rain and the look on her face proved that she would not easily change her mind. He would have to show her why instead. He once again moved in close to her and took ahold of her right hand again. He pulled it out of the window and as soon as a drop of rain touch the skin of her palm, she flinched and pulled her hand away when a burning sensation flowed through her hand.

There had been no signs of burning or even a mark but she definitely felt it.

"Your kind is weak to the rain. You should avoid it at all costs," he said, releasing her hand again. Lucy carefully looked over the palm to make sure she really hadn't been burned.

"My kind...?" She muttered to herself.

'Humans have way too many weaknesses,' she thought next when the burning sensation disappeared. Of all things that could weaken her body, she did not believe that rain was one of them. It was not water in general but rain water that affected her body. She could bathe and drink water without so much as a problem but could not allow the rainwater to touch her skin.

"Why do you know so much about me than I do?" She asked, looking up at Dante. Everyone seemed to have known her better than she knew herself.

"I don't know anything about you," he lied, turning to walk away. Lucy got up and rushed to catch up to him, grabbing the sleeve of his coat to keep him from moving or disappearing as he usually did.

"Is there something you need?" He asked, turning to see that her eyebrows were furrowed. It caught his curiosity.

"You're lying to me... I can tell," she said. She had a feeling in her lower back when he answered her question and she was not content enough to let him leave just yet. Dante was surprised that she was able to see through his lies. Then again, her kind could not be underestimated. She did not remember who she was but that did not change her identity.

"Sit down with me," she asked and Dante held in a sigh. There was no way he would be able to get away from her. She was proving to be very stubborn and it was best to do what she asked of him.